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- Sohlenius, Ulrika
(author)
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Centralisation of product design and the design process for housing
- 2006
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Licentiate thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Over many years the housing industry has been criticised concerning its performance related to factors such as quality and cost. Together with the challenge of improving its capability in meeting individual customers’ needs, by means of effective production, this has resulted in a situation where companies look at other industries, such as manufacturing, in order to industrialise their products and processes. Swedish housing producers are today working towards finding more commonality in products and processes at the same time as the ability to deliver customized product and services is maintained or improved. In some cases this means an increase in central control of the design work carried out in project groups. This thesis presents a study of the design process for housing at a Swedish property developer, JM AB. Interviews have been conducted with three main groups of actors (project leaders, architects and sellers) connected to ten housing developments. A survey has also been sent out to these individuals as well as to other important actors. The main objectives of these investigations were to find out major actors’ attitudes towards the increase in central control of the design work, in general terms as well as in relation to specific design objects (windows, floor plans, bathrooms and basic structure) for the housing projects. The results show that the trend towards more industrialised processes by more structuring and standardising concerning design has had an effect on the design work carried out in project groups. There are positive as well as negative aspects, as well as similarities and differences in attitudes. These differences can be related to different roles as well as to geographical differences. Within this work a triangle has been developed for measuring and comparing different actors’ attitudes. The work further shows that adapting a more holistic view of the design process, by considering it as part of a firm’s product realisation process, could be a base for further developments
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| 2. |
- Sohlenius, Ulrika
(author)
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Different objectives and various views on the early design process in real estate development
- 2004
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In: International Journal for Housing Science and Its Applications. - 0146-6518. ; 28:3, s. 201-213
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Business success is often connected to continuous improvement concerning factors such as quality, time and cost. In the Swedish construction sector, including housing, there is a need to improve quality, as well as shorten lead times and lower costs. A recently conducted case study in Stockholm points to differences, as well as similarities, between how various actors describe the early design process in real estate development. The actors' descriptions include the objectives for the work and views on customer value, which here is directly connected to quality. The actors in the study can be divided mainly into two separate groups: architects and project managers. The majority of the project managers are engineers. Architects and engineers are two different occupational groups for which the knowledge base has been formed during their education and practical training, i.e. the exercise of their profession. These differences affect how they prefer to work, including how they cooperate with others and which expressed (and non-expressed) objectives and interests are considered during the process. A different knowledge base is probably the main reason for the differences and discrepancies found in the study. The results point at possible improvements according to organizational issues in addition to those connected to the structure of decision-making for housing development.
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